Blog Posts

Blog posts by FLOW team and guest writers

Where do plastic bags and bottles go to die?

The U.S. Geological Survey estimates there are 112,000 particles of plastic per square mile of Great Lakes water. While the specific, causal effects plastics may have on human health are yet unknown and currently being researched, animal studies suggest that plastics and plastic byproducts affect digestive, respiratory, endocrine, reproductive, and immune systems.

A River of Manure: CAFO Sewage Runoff Threatens Water Systems

Guest author Pam Taylor is a volunteer with Environmentally Concerned Citizens of South Central Michigan. Taylor’s family came to Lenawee County, Michigan in 1837 to farm, and some family members are still farming there. She and her brother own a farm that’s been in her family for 117 years, where she lived and raised sheep… Read more »

Get the Facts on Line 5 with FLOW’s New, Updated Fact Sheet

Every day, Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline carries nearly 23 million gallons of oil and natural gas liquids (NGLs) from the oil sand fields in western Canada to refineries in Ontario, using the Straits of Mackinac as a high-risk shortcut. In FLOW’s new, updated Line 5 Fact Sheet, you’ll learn the latest on the pipeline, why… Read more »

Michigan’s Sixth Great Lake: FLOW featured in July 31 “Northern Express”

FLOW Executive Director Liz Kirkwood sat down with the Northern Express to talk about Michigan’s unheralded “Sixth Great Lake”: Groundwater. In the July 31, 2023 issue, learn about Michigan’s hydrological connections, and how FLOW is working to protect all the waters of the Great Lakes Basin through our work on education, septic codes, and polluter pay… Read more »

Gov. Whitmer signs “No Stricter Than Federal” roll-back: Why it matters

Michigan is once again free to enact environmental protections critical to the health of our environment and residents. Updated July 31, 2023 On July 27, 2023, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed Senate Bill 14, which passed the State House of Representatives on June 28 by a 56-52 vote. With her signature, the 2018 state statute that… Read more »

U.S. Army Corps to Limit Line 5 Tunnel Review

“The US Army Corps of Engineers decision to exclude the cumulative impacts of the fossil fuels Line 5 will transport, climate concerns, and, remarkably, engineering concerns raised by experts as to the integrity of the tunnel, flies in the face of the Corps’ purpose and mission, the Biden Administration’s goals and policy, and public concern… Read more »

Michigan: First in Fresh Water, Last in Septic Regulation

This fall, the Michigan legislature will have an opportunity to correct a grievous and egregious deficiency in Michigan’s water policy. How is it that in the third decade of the 21st Century, Michigan, the Great Lakes State, is the only state of 50 without a statewide code setting minimum standards for the design, construction, and… Read more »

On this day in 2010: Enbridge Oil Spill in Kalamazoo River

This week marks the unlucky 13th anniversary of one of the largest inland oil spills in U.S. history. On July 25, 2010, a pipeline operated by Enbridge – the same corporation operating the risky Line 5 in the Strait of Mackinac – burst and released dirty tar sands oil into Talmadge Creek, a tributary of… Read more »

FLOW commends new EGLE appointments

FLOW Statement Commending Appointments of EGLE Director Phil Roos and EGLE Chief of Staff Kara Cook Traverse City, MI – FLOW commends the appointment of business entrepreneur and strategist, Phil Roos, to serve as director of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. “Phil Roos is an outstanding strategist and environmental thought leader… Read more »

“The Strait Story” Line 5 Webinar

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzO-NA-qjfw Download the Line 5 Fact Sheet (PDF)   Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline is over 70 years old and remains a threat to the waters and people of the Great Lakes region. On Wednesday, July 19 2023, FLOW and Oil & Water Don’t Mix presented a special live webinar, featuring a panel of… Read more »